Continue to take my brother-in-law to visit Taizhou. Yesterday we went to Shenxianju, and today we went to another 5a attraction, Tiantai Guoqing Temple.
Guoqing Temple has also become popular on Tik Tok in recent years. Everyone knows that it is the only 5a temple that does not charge admission. It is the ancestral temple of the Tiantai Sect in Japan and South Korea and has a huge influence overseas. It is the temple where Li Xiuyuan (Living Buddha Jigong) became a monk.
In addition to these, some people may have heard that it was the filming location for the popular movie "Shaolin Temple" in the 1980s. This is true. The scene where the monk Jueyuan, played by Jet Li, was ordained as a monk was filmed in the main hall of Guoqing Temple.
The reason why Guoqing Temple was chosen to film "Shaolin Temple" was because the real Shaolin Temple had fallen into disrepair and was dilapidated in the 1980s. In order to achieve the best filming effect, the director team selected four "beautiful" temples across the country, one of which was Guoqing Temple.
As for why Guoqing Temple is so beautiful, there is a reason for this. In 1973, when China was generally poor, the State Council allocated 300,000 yuan to rebuild Guoqing Temple. The person who made the final decision was Premier Zhou Enlai. There is a diplomatic story behind this.
Just the year before, in September 1972, China and Japan resumed diplomatic relations. The then Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka made a request during a meeting with Premier Zhou Enlai, hoping to visit the Guoqing Temple in Tiantai, Zhejiang. Because the Tanaka family had been believers of the Tiantai Sect for generations, they wanted to see the sect's ancestral temple.
This request was made very suddenly and the Japanese side was not informed in advance. Finally, for some reasons, we informed Prime Minister Tanaka that it was not convenient to visit the shrine at that time, and unfortunately it did not take place.
You must be wondering why it is not appropriate? Well... Think about what year it was in 1972. At that time, temples across the country were destroyed, and Guoqing Temple was no exception. The Buddha statues and treasures were destroyed, the monks were driven out, and the temple was once converted into a textile factory.
Now, hearing that Japanese friends were coming to pay homage, they realized the diplomatic value of this ancient temple and decided to allocate funds for its reconstruction the following year. At the same time, in order to make Guoqing Temple look more formal, they also transferred hundreds of cultural relics from Beijing to decorate it.
Two of them are treasures of the temple. One is the pair of white marble lions at the entrance, which are exquisitely crafted and lifelike. The other is the bronze furnace in front of the Main Hall, which is a precious cultural relic cast by Emperor Qianlong when he celebrated Zhen Huan's birthday.
By the way, in 2017, Kakuei Tanaka's son Tanaka Kyo visited Kokushoji Temple and fulfilled his father's long-cherished wish. By chance, the Tanaka family also formed a good relationship with Kokushoji Temple.
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After listening to my story above, some readers may be confused. How can a temple in Taizhou have such a great influence in Japan and South Korea?
It's very simple, because the ancestors of Guoqing Temple were very wealthy. When many people first enter the mountain gate, they will find a huge screen wall with four big characters written on it: Ancient Temple of Sui Dynasty.
It is rare to see ancient buildings claiming to be from the Sui Dynasty, because the Sui Dynasty was more than 1,400 years ago. It was also short-lived, lasting only 38 years in total. To put it bluntly, it was old and short, making it difficult to verify.
But there is no doubt that Guoqing Temple originated in the Sui Dynasty, because it was Yang Guang, the Emperor Yang of Sui, who paid for the construction of the temple and named it Guoqing. In order to commemorate Master Zhiyi, who had taught him, he built Guoqing Temple and a 9-story Baoen Pagoda in front of the temple. This stone pagoda has been around for more than 1,400 years and is dilapidated, but it still stands at the foot of Tiantai Mountain.
In other words, Guoqing Temple was a royal temple from the very beginning and had a noble origin. This is why Master Jianzhen later lived in the temple to study, and why Korean and Japanese monks came here specifically to study Buddhist scriptures and return to their countries to preach, which led to the development of the Tiantai Sect.
Nowadays, believers from Japan and South Korea come to Guoqing Temple to worship every year. Behind the main hall, there is a tower of gratitude built in 1989 by Japanese Lotus Sect believers at a cost of 10 million yen. On the tower is written "know the gratitude and repay the gratitude" to express gratitude for the missionary work of Guoqing Temple.
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Finally, I would like to add a little knowledge. Guoqing Temple also produced another pair of mortal gods. Hanshan lived in seclusion in Hanyan, Tiantai, and was close friends with Shi De, a monk from Guoqing Temple. They later went to Suzhou and established Hanshan Temple there. During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the two were officially named "the two saints of harmony and unity" and were in charge of marriage in the world.
A temple that has produced living Buddhas and immortals, and has also spread its branches overseas and established a school of thought, don’t you think it’s cool? In addition, the temple also has authentic works of Wang Xizhi and a 1,400-year-old Sui plum tree, a super treasure attraction.
Ok, so far I have introduced Taizhou’s three 5A scenic spots, the ancient city wall, Shenxianju, and Guoqing Temple. Each has its own characteristics and merits. If readers have the opportunity to travel to Taizhou, try to arrange time to visit all three places. There are natural scenery and cultural heritage, which are the essence of Taizhou.
Finally...People often ask me if Taizhou got its name because there are too many typhoons?
I really did have a crack, of course not, it was Taizhou named after Mount Tiantai.
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There is still some space left, so I don’t want to talk about A-shares today. Let me answer readers’ questions about my views on the future cryptocurrency market.
I posted a picture a long time ago about the performance of major asset classes over the years.
You will find a pattern: BTC soared for three years, ranked first, and plummeted in one year, ranking last. This is related to the characteristic of BTC itself that it depletes by half every four years. So I entered the market at the end of 2021, just to see the high probability of a correction in 2022, and it turned out to be true.
I have been increasing my positions in the past two years, but I stopped buying in the second half of this year and even started to sell gradually because I think it is time to run away in 2025 because there is a high probability of a fall in 2026. Considering that the US dollar interest rate cut has led to a rush for commodities, this time may be advanced, so I have set a plan to strategically reduce my positions from the second half of 2024 to mid-2025.
It is not a one-click liquidation. You just sell when it hits a high, and do some mining when it drops a lot. There is no rush, but no new positions will be added in any case.
I have expressed similar views at least four or five times on my official account, but for some reason some people always misinterpret them. Of course, my views may not be correct. In short, investment is a very personal matter. Don't play a game that you haven't thought through clearly or that you can't afford to lose.
Finally, I wish you all a happy weekend.